


Fraternize

by sailor_pansexual



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, It’ll be fun I promise, Kind of like a Mafia AU but with a twist, Or destiny, Useless Lesbians, lots of plot twists, no powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-11-25 22:11:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18172106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailor_pansexual/pseuds/sailor_pansexual
Summary: Fraternize (v.): to associate or form a relationship with someone, especially when one is not supposed to.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this about a year ago, but never finished it. As I revise each chapter, I will post it. This story has a lot to it, so stay tuned!

“Have you completed your job yet, Tenoh?” 

A booming voice cut through the dimly-lit room. Above them, a single light source hanging from the low ceiling. The stowage was painted a puke-like green, and the crusty carpet seemed to crunch under the expensive shoes that walked upon it. From looking at the small room, one would have never guessed what happened inside.

”Yes Sir.” The short reply was met with a slight glare of doubt. Nevertheless, the rather large man held out a small envelope to the well-dressed blonde before him. The contents of the envelope itself was a mystery, although a certain blonde by the name of Tenoh assumed it was filled with compensation for a job  well done.

Tenoh gave a slight bow before turning away from the large man, tucking the envelope safely within the pocket of her red suit jacket.

 

{—————}

 

The wind blew harshly at her short, blonde hair as she drove a little too fast down the highway. Why or where she was driving, she wasn’t sure. In fact, she wasn’t really sure when she had even gotten into her newest red sports car. The only thing she did know was that she had to clear her mind.

That smug bastard, she furiously mumbled. I did the job he asked of me, and what did he give me? ¥50,000? I guess that’s what I signed up for when I chose this occupation. She sighed louder and continued swerving past other cars, ignoring their honks of anger as she sped past.

Although, I didn’t really choose this occupation, did I?

 

{—————}

 

“Thank you, Kaioh-san!” A young girl, maybe eleven or twelve squealed as she held within her hands a signed CD of the newest album by the newest breakout artist in the orchestral scene. One Michiru Kaioh. The violinist was said to be able to enchant anyone who dared listen to her. Whether you were a fan of classical or not, once you heard how her fingers danced across the finger board, you became an addict to the music that flowed like the rough blue seas.

The aqua-haired woman gave a small giggle. “You’re very welcome.” Michiru gave a small bow to the smaller girl who, after quickly bowing in return, ran back to her mother to show off her prize.

Michiru’s smile quickly faded as she remembered what she was doing sitting alone in the small cafe. Legs crossed and posture straight, she patiently waited for her now late company.

“Kaioh-san! Over here!” A man wearing a light blue polo and jeans met her gaze. His arms were waving in the air in an attempt to call over the attention of the young artist. Michiru softly rolled her eyes before putting on her nicest smile and wove back at the excited man.

“Takaya-san. Good afternoon.” She greeted back as the young man practically ran over to her table. Once he was seated across from herself, she gave a small bow of which he returned with twice the enthusiasm. This action ultimately resulted in his head crashing against the hardwood table.

“Are you okay... Takaya-san?” Michiru asked perplexed. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave his biggest smile, much to the aqua-haired girl’s confusion.

“Oh, of course! Please don’t worry your pretty little head about me and this old head of mine.” She took one more look at the goofy man before closing her eyes and sighing in exasperation.

“What did you call me here for again? You specifically said that it was ‘of great importance’.” She recalled, using air quotes to retell his email, calling her to meet him at the 39th street bakery immediately after she got off from work.

“Oh yeah!” The brown-haired man reached into his bag and pulled out a black notebook. “So. Kaioh-san. My viewers are just dying to know.” Michiru sighed. This acquaintance of her held a job at a news agency of which seemed to cover more gossip than actual news. “Is it true that your father has been scamming the lower class out of money? And does that have anything to do with your recent success as a musician?” Michiru couldn’t help but stare at the man dumbfounded. Dumbfounded... but not surprised.

Her father was one of he wealthiest people in all of Japan. Soon after the very drastic upgrade in his net worth, many people were led to believe that there was some reason behind his sudden wealth. While many people talk, Michiru refused to believe any of the rumors. Her father wasn’t the greatest guy, but there’s no way he’d take money from the already poor.

The violinist reaches into her royal blue hand purse and pulled out $20 to pay for her $3.50 tea and stood up from the table. Ignoring the calls from the reporter behind her, she quickly walked out of the cafe, a look of annoyance on her usually soft features.

Over the many years since her mother’s sudden death, Michiru practically drowned herself in her painting, her music, her studies— anything to keep her mind away from the pain she felt in her heart. This is the reason as to why she never felt the need to interact, never mind hold a conversation with, anyone who couldn’t help her towards her life goal.

‘Who does he think he is?’ Michiru walked down the street mumbling to herself softly. ‘I mean come on. Calling me out to a bakery for no reason other than to accuse my father of fraud.’

She looked down at her phone’s GPS, which was giving her walking directions to her new apartment. She really liked the location, as it was both close to her work, and far from her father’s household.

As her phone instructed her to turn left, she was met with a dark ally. ‘Oh great. Here’s where I get kidnapped’, she complained as she made her way down the backstreets of the city.

 

{—————}

 

After driving for what seemed to be an eternity, the blonde decided to make her was home. Turning left here, and right here, she followed the streets that she’s lived on her whole life.

As she drove, she looked upon the residences of the rich and famous. Big, beautiful, and expensive buildings that seemed to touch the sky. Boy, did she wish she could live in a place like that. It sure would be a change of pass from the one-room apartment she called home.

Turning a certain corner immediately took her to the “bad part” of the city, where people lived on the streets. A part of the city that someone of a higher class wouldn’t have been caught dead in.

She was almost home when something caught her eye. A beautiful girl with turquoise hair which fell gently on her exposed shoulders, bouncing slightly as she took each step. From the girl’s outfit alone, the blonde could safely assume that she had some money.

‘Now what is someone like you doing in a place like this?’ She smirked, her eyes never leaving the pretty girl. She was effectively transfixed on the girl who so easily caught her eye, and noticed immediately as a group of shady-looking guys started to follow her down the sidewalk.

Shit. The blonde recognized these men from their matching leather jackets — The Day Walkers. A gang infamous in the area for robbing and kidnapping any passerby who looked like they had a single cent on them— especially the girls.

‘Little Miss Fancy over here sure is asking for it walking around in this area.’ Haruka sighed. ‘Well I can’t just leave such a pretty girl here to die, can I?’

She rolled down her window as she pulled up near the aqua-haired beauty. “Hey. Uh, listen, Miss. Unless you want those guys behind you to steal whatever you probably have in that fancy purse of yours, I would consider getting in if I were you.” Michiru turned quickly to see who had said such a thing to her. Immediately, she spotted a handsome figure in a red sports car. The person wore a suit and their hair was unruly and a dirty blonde color. Immediately, she felt attracted to the person behind the wheel, so much so that she had forgotten what the person had said entirely, as she didn’t notice the approaching men behind her until they were holding her against the pavement. She screamed in pain and fear as she hit the ground. Hard.

The blonde reacted fast, practically jumping out of her fat and assessing the situation with great speed.

There were three guys. One holding the girl’s left side, another holding her right. The third was in front of her, wrestling the purse out of her hands.

In one swift movement, Haruka kicked the man in front’s feet out from underneath him. As his head hit the pavement below him, he let out a yelp. The other two immediately released their rough grip on the small girl to attack the blonde.

She decided to use their large figures and their clumsiness against them as she dodged their collective jumping at her. This action led quickly to the two grown men tumbling over themselves and onto the ground below. The tall girl looked around with a satisfied look on her face until she saw the first guy was gone from the place of which she had left him.

Two hands suddenly wrapped themselves around her neck from behind, and the realization hit her as to where the man had gone to. She tried to kick her legs at the man, but to no avail, as her air supply was quickly running short.

“Heyaa!” A grunt of anger was heard behind her, and the man released his grip on her neck, causing her to fall in a heap to the ground. The blonde slowly looked up to see that the small woman had tried to harm the large man by hitting him with her small purse.

‘She’s not very smart, but she sure as hell is feisty’, the taller woman thought with a pained smirk. The man grunted and turned to the small girl, who had realized what she had done only then. Her face looked terrified as the man took his hand in the air and smacked her against the face. Hard.

Now, Tenoh Haruka has always been a calm and stoic person. This being the case, for whatever reason, when she witnessed the stranger of a girl get hit across the face, she felt aged bubble within her greatest depths. Despite her own dizziness, she quickly stood to her feet and jumped at the man, kneeing his jaw. The great force of the impact instantly put him out cold. This fact was evident as he slumped to the ground, unmoving. Haruka immediately rushed over and knelt over the girl who had fallen so roughly to the ground.

“You okay?” Her voice came out huskier that she meant for it to, but there was no way she could control what her voice wanted to sound like right now. She reached at the girl and turned her over. Haruka pauses for a moment to take in the features of the girl who was only half awake. Looking past the huge cut on the girl’s cheek, the blonde suddenly realized why the woman had looked so damn familiar.

 

“Kaioh... _Michiru_?”

 


	2. Assignments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka and Michiru learn that they are more different than they could have imagined.

 

“Michiru... Kaioh?"

 

"Yeah~?" The small woman half-replied, holding her head in her own hands. She was obviously in a great deal of pain, not to mention probably confused, so Haruka decided to drop the topic.

“You... you need to lay down. My place is a few doors down, if you would want to crash there for the night." She offered wholeheartedly, causing the disorientated violinist give a lazy smirk.

 “How do I know you're not going to do indecent things to me as I sleep, eh? All boys are usually the same~" she replied, hopefully jokingly.

“Heh, yeah they are. I wouldn't know, though. I’m not that big of a dick.” Haruka tried to reply seriously, but failed altogether.

“You sure have a dirty mouth." The violinist replied, a wild expression on her pained face. "Still though, my point stands. How can I know that I can trust you?"

“I guess that I can’t... outside the fact that I saved your ass back there."

“Good point, stranger." She kept a smirk on her face as she replied to the handsome woman.

“Tenoh Haruka." She extended her hand to the small woman, an act that she hoped the younger woman would return.

"Kaioh Michiru." She introduced herself, taking Haruka's hand and shaking it lightly.

“I know."

 

{—————}

 

Haruka left her car parked on the side of the road as she helped Michiru across the street and onto the porch of her small living space.

Michiru looked around at the brick buildings surrounding her, a look of exasperation on her soft features. I didn't know such a broken-down place existed so close to where I live, she reflected in awe.

Now, turning to the building in front of her, she took note of the peeling paint and the rusty metal door that decorated the premises. Then, something that shook her to the core happened. When Michiru stole a glance at Haruka, she noticed a look on the tall girl's face that seemed almost hateful as she gazed back at the violinist. Noticing that Michiru was looking back, she straightened herself back up, her usual half-smile returning. Not entirely knowing what had just happened, Michiru decided to shrug it off.

“Come on in." She opened the door, gesturing with her hand for Michiru to enter first. The short girl stayed with her feet firmly on the ground. "Kaioh-san. Listen. It's getting dark, and trust me — you don't want to be outside at night around here." The younger girl gave a slight nod and smiled in response. Slowly, she took a step forward, through the doorway, and into the room that awaited her.

What met her was a dim room, so she couldn't see anything other than the dark outline of a sofa close to the door. Haruka chuckled at Michiru’s anxious reaction and reached for the light switch, causing light to quickly flood the room.

Looking around, she was surprised yet pleased to find that the inside of the apartment was nothing like the outside; it was impeccably clean, and the furniture was placed neatly around the small room. There was a sofa, about 3 feet away from a small tv. In the same room was a small fridge, a microwave, and a stove. There was one door that led into the bedroom, and another that led into a small bathroom.

“I’m sorry it's not what you're probably used to, but it's home." The blonde took off her coat and hung it up on the metal coat rack, motioning for Michiru to do the same. "Lay down on the couch. I'll bring you a blanket." As she finished speaking, she disappeared into the bedroom, most likely in search of said blanket.

Michiru slowly took off her coat and hung it next to Haruka’s, still assessing the room around her. She took another second to look around before walking over to the couch and sitting down on it.

Haruka reappeared with a blue blanket and a white pillow. Michiru smiled to herself at how nice this guy was being. Maybe a little too nice. She thought to herself how he could just be another guy who was obsessed with her and followed her wherever she went. Crazy as that sounded, back when she had guards follow her around, they caught almost 10 guys guilty of said crime.

"By the way, how do you know who I am? I mean, you don't seem like a fan of classical music." The aqua-haired woman wondered out loud, hoping to provide her mind an answer for its burning question.

The blonde panicked internally. ’Should I tell her the truth? How could I? "Oh it's just because the boss assigned me the job of..." Nope, that wouldn't turn out well’.

“How would you know what I like to listen to? For all you know I could love classical music. Besides, it's not like your face and family name isn't famous around here. Not for good reasons, either, might I add."

The smaller woman felt that same anger from earlier that day bubble in her once again. "Oh now you're going to accuse my father— my family of stealing from people like you?" ‘Shit, Michiru, you've done it now’, she scolded herself silently.

Michiru was temporary lost in thought and almost didn't notice the blonde making her way over to her. Before she knew it, the taller had successfully pinned her against the sofa by keeping her hands on either side of the smaller girl. "People like me?" she aksed, her voice edged. "Like what, Kaioh-sama?" Michiru looked back at her with the same ferocity.

“It's just that people who don't live the lifestyle I do always want to pull me and my family down. I mean, what did we do? I highly doubt my father would do something as cruel as to take money away from people who need it. And even if he... even if... he..." Michiru grunted as she felt her head get light and her vision get slightly blurry. Her head fell down and her body leaned at an angle that definitely wouldn’t support her for more than a moment.

"Kaioh-san!" Haruka grabbed the small girl on either of her shoulders to keep her from falling off the couch. The girl just grunted in response, the pain from her head obvious. "Well look at that cut, you obviously fell to the ground pretty hard. I'm sorry I didn't really take much notice to it. Stay there, we're going to get you patched up." Haruka gently helped her lie her head on the pillow and walked straight to the bathroom. Michiru reached up to the cut and winced as her hands made contact with the gash.

“I got some banda- hey! Don't touch it!" She scolded as she knelt down on the floor next to the couch, placing a first aid box on the ground next to her. She opened the tin box up, and pulled out a small tube of ointment. Putting some onto her hand, she reached up and ran her ointment-covered fingers over the soft cheeks that had been carelessly wounded. The girl winced again, but didn't complain.

Pulling her hand away, Haruka reached again into the box and pulled out a small roll of bandage tape. She reached up and carefully covered the perimeter of the small wound with the thin fabric.

“This should hold up until we can get you some real medical help. For the time being, though..." she began, looking at the clock. It told her that it was half past 9. "You aren't going anywhere until tomorrow morning." The smaller girl sighed as she was handed two pills.

“What are these?" She asked nervously. ‘Is she trying to poison me? Get me high? Wait. Why the hell would she? I mean she's provided me with a place to sleep, and medical help’. She regretted asking, and a slightly guilty look crossed her face.

The blonde chuckled. "Advil. I figured you might want to treat that headache of yours." With that, Michiru nodded and quickly took the two pills with the small glass of water. "I'll go ahead and leave you for the night. I'll be in the bedroom if you need anything, Kaioh-san." She packed up the first aid and began to stand up when she felt a tug at her shirt. Looking down, she found Michiru with a tight grip on her clothes.

“Hey. Can we start over? I'm sorry that I was rude... and for labeling you... for assuming you're the same as other people who live around here. I was wrong. You're nothing like anyone I've ever met." She found herself mumbling, and shut herself up.

The blonde gave a wide smile and nodded. Extending her hand once more, she introduced herself. "Tenoh Haruka."

Taking the extended hand, once more, she smiled. "Kaioh Michiru."

“I know."

 

{—————}

 

The clock chimed 11, and Haruka was still awake. She lied on her bed, looking up at the white ceiling. She recalled the conversation held the same day.

 

||—————||

 

“ _Tenoh_. _The boss called me with another job for you."_

_“What the hell does he want this time?"_

_“It's a big job. He said you would be interested in the compensation that would be provided for it being completed correctly."_

_“I'm listening"_

_"Kaioh Corp. You've heard of it, right?"_

_"Of course I've heard of it. Who the hell hasn't? It's the company with the most funds coming from the state as of late, right?"_

_“Correct. Your job is related to that last part. The money comes from the state, right?"_

_"That's what the news said..."_

_“Yeah well the news lied. Kaioh Corp has been taking the money away from the people in poverty who the damn government has forgotten about."_

_"What the hell does this have to do with my assignment?"_

_"The CEO of Kaioh Corp is holding a banquet in two weeks. You are to, by any means, infiltrate his company somehow, or meet someone who can get you in—anything that will get you into that banquet. When you are there, you are to..."_

“I am to assassinate Kaioh-san's father.”


	3. The Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka reflects on her job, and how she is to complete it.

“I am to assassinate Kaioh-san's father."

Haruka pondered the thought, a conflicted look on her usually stoic features. She silently recalled the rest of the conversation.

 

{—————}

 

"That's crazy. Do you know how many guard and security checks there would be at a place like that?! Go tell the boss to fuck off with his impossible demands."

"He said you might say that. That's why he told me to tell you how much you're getting out of this. Money wise."

"How much money could possibly be worth that God-awful job?"

"5,000,000."

"5,000,000 in yen? That's hardly worth it."

"No. 5,000,000 in dollars, Tenoh."

"... Tell him I said it's a deal. That rich-ass business man is going down."

 

{—————}

 

Haruka pondered what she would do about an offer like this, and more importantly, how to achieve the boss's wishes.

‘$5 million is enough to get me out of these cursed streets and into the apartment I've worked for my whole life. Not only that, but I'd finally be able to pay off my debt to the boss. I'd be free to stop doing his will for shitty amounts of pay.

‘On the contrary to this, that $5 million would be gained by taking a life... but that doesn't really matter if he has hurt and stolen from people. One life for many isn't that big of a deal, and with Kaioh-san, I can get into the banquet! What luck I have! All I have to do is get close enough to the girl that she falls in love with me, therefore inviting me to such a fancy party as her plus one. This just might work!’

To get the money, Haruka was going to have to make Kaioh Michiru fall in love with her. That was simply put, but when she thought of how she would go about the task, she couldn’t come up with anything.

Her brain hurt, and she decided to turn in for the night. Pulling up the old blanket to her chin, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

 

{—————}

 

“Morning, Kaioh-san." Michiru opened her heavy eyes to greet the handsome blonde standing next to the couch.

"Good morning, Tenoh-san." She rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and yawned, arms going above her head in a stretch.

"How's your head?" Haruka reaches down to check the bandage, seeing it had only a small amount of blood on it.

“Actually, I feel... good. I guess I just needed a good night’s rest." she replied, resting her hands on the blonde’s. Michiru gazed up at Haruka, feeling a slight pinch at her cheeks as she realized for a minute just how blue the woman's eyes were. Pulled in by their distant and unreachable beauty, Michiru found herself looking deep within these eyes, searching for an answer to a question she couldn't put into words.

“If you really are okay, then I can drive you to your home. Do you live around here?" Haruka gently pulled her hand away from the violinist's.

"I think so." She replied, sighing. “I just moved to a larger apartment recently, and I'm not really familiar with this area."

"Well I am, so just tell he your street address and I can take you there. No problem." Haruka winked at the last words, making Michiru laugh quietly.

"Okay, then. Let's go."

 

{—————}

 

They had been driving for a few minutes when Michiru turned to Haruka. "You know, you didn't have to save me from those guys. Why did you?" Haruka sighed, thinking about the question.

"I guess I couldn't let a girl as pretty as you suffer what those guys would have done. You caught my eye, Kaioh-san."

"You caught my eye too, Tenoh-san.” Haruka looked at Michiru and smiled her most handsome smile.

"Well, this is it." Haruka pulled up to the side of the road and motioned to the building in front of them.

Michiru looked at Haruka and nodded. "Thank you so much, Tenoh-san. We should see each other again soon." Haruka smiled softly at this remark.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at 4. How's that?"

"Perfect." Michiru opened the car door and began to step out.

"See you tomorrow, Kaioh-san." Haruka smiled warmly at the girl who blushed slightly in return.

"Michiru. Call me Michiru."

"Okay.... Michiru-san." The younger girl smiled at this and finally shut the car door, walking to the door of her large apartment building.

 

‘This is going to be easier than I thought’

 

{—————}

 

Michiru checked the clock. 3:48pm. In no time at all, the girl who saved her a couple days back would be coming to pick her up. Michiru was practically ecstatic to spend time with her. To get to know her. It had been a long time since anyone treated her, at least a little bit, like a real person. For that reasoning, she couldn't help but find herself completely infatuated by the blonde.

Michiru looked in the mirror, assessing her outfit. She was wearing a pastel pink dress that went down to about her knees. ‘I wonder if Haruka will like it. Haruka. I wonder if he will mind me calling him that. I hope not’. She reached into her vanity's drawer and pulled out a small tube of lip gloss, smearing it over her pink lips.

The violinist checked the clock again, this time reading 4:03. ‘He’s late’. Michiru felt a small frown on her face, then sighed. Why did she even care so much about this person? A boy who’s smile made her weak at the knees. A boy who didn’t even really seem like a boy. A boy who clearly wasn’t a girl—right?

Michiru looked outside to see a red sports car. Hoonkkk. The loud noise coming from the car filled her apartment. She smiled as she slipped on a pair of black flats that matched her outfit, grabbed her purse, and walked out the door.

"Hey, Michiru-san" the blonde greeted, unlocking the car door so she could enter.

"Hi... Tenoh-san." Michiru quickly spat out how she addressed the taller woman.

“Tenoh, huh?"

"Would you prefer I call you something else?"

“Tenoh is fine, but if we're being fair here, and a you’re Michiru, then you can call me Haruka if you’d like."

"Okay... Haruka-san."

 

{—————}

 

They had been driving for 15 minutes, exchanging small talk the whole way. This being the case, neither one of them asked any question of greater importance than the how the weather was.

"So, where are we going, anyway?" Michiru turned her head to look at the blonde, who casually gripped the steering wheel with her right hand. Haruka smirked.

"You'll see. For now, just relax and be patient." Haruka looked over at Michiru to see a cute pout on her face. "We'll be there soon. I promise, Michiru-san."

Another 10 minutes went by, and while the only sound in the car was the faint beat of the radio, Michiru wasn't bored. Michiru found that she loved to drive down the country roads away from the city; especially when she was with Haruka. She didn't know why, but something about that blonde made her stomach drop and her cheeks turn red.

Michiru looked over at Haruka, taking in her features. Observing her face, it wasn't entirely obvious if she was a girl or a boy. Her dirty blonde hair was only long enough to brush against the top of her eyes. Her eyes were so dark and unreachable that it felt like they've witnessed unspeakable things. Haruka noticed that Michiru was looking at her and returned her gaze.

"What is it, Michiru-san?"

"Are you sure you're a boy?" Immediately, realizing what she had said, she looked back at the road ahead. ‘You really need to learn how to shut your damn mouth’. Michiru was beyond mortified at what she had said.

Haruka laughed. "Well I never said I was... but why would you ask? Do you want me to prove it or something?" Michiru looked back at her, a crimson color painted on her cheeks.

"What’s that suppose to mean? No! I mean... when are we getting there? It's been forever." Haruka, a smirk still on her face, looked back at the road. Slowing the car down to a stop, she looked at Michiru.

"We’re here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Sorry not a lot happened in this chapter. It’s meant to set up what happens next. I promise the next few will be out soon and more interesting.


	4. Blanket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka decides she has to win Michiru’s heart.

"We're here."

 

Michiru turned her head to see a big open field, filled partially with flowers of every color. In the center of a dirt path was a small pond of which the sun danced across. As Michiru took in the sights, she noticed something else. Nobody was there except them.

Stepping out of the car, she marveled at the beauty of it all. Haruka opened the trunk of her car and pulled out a large basket and a checkered blanket. Michiru marveled upon a particularly pretty flower at her feet, and bent down to smell it. Upon seeing the small woman's reaction to the world around her, Haruka laughed. She stopped for a second to admire the girl. ‘She really is beautiful. And I'm sure she's really kind once you get to know her’. She caught herself in what she was saying and shook her head. ‘Come on, Tenoh. You promised yourself not to get attached. You've gotten close to people for a job before. This is no different’.

"You're acting like you've never been taken on a picnic date before." Haruka caught her attention and held up the basket.

"Date?" Michiru was blushing now more than she had earlier.

"Well yeah. I mean that’s what it’s called right? Two people going to a romantic location by themselves?"

"Oh, but you’re forgetting the most important part of a date. You see, you never asked me out. You simply asked if I wanted to see you again."

"First of all, Princess, I recall you being the one to ask that." Michiru frowned at the name. "Second... would you want to go on a date with me?" She once again held up the basket. "Please say yes. I don't want to have to eat all this food by myself." The violinist have an exasperated sigh and nodded, her lips quirking into a smile.

"I'll go on a date with you, Tenoh." She have a wide smirk as Haruka gave an over-exaggerated look of offense as she placed a hand on her heart.

"Tenoh? What happened to Haruka?"

"I'll call you Haruka again only once you've given me the best date I’ve ever been on."

"Deal."

 

{—————}

 

Not an half an hour later, and the two of them were sitting on the checkered blanket sharing the meal that Haruka had made for their lunch. They had been talking about pretty much everything as they walked through the gardens, before their picnic. Each learned so much about the other... though only to a certain extent on both sides.

As Michiru looked into the basket, she smiled at its contents. The basket contained many foods; sandwiches, a salad, fruit, cheese, bread, cookies, a few slices of cake, a canteen of tea (and cups to drink it from), and most importantly, a bottle of red wine.

Haruka pulled out the wine, showing it off to Michiru. "I sure hope you're 21, cause I brought my favorite wine." Michiru laughed.

“I just turned 21, actually." Haruka smirked.

"Well I'm 21 and a half, so I am older and therefore wiser." Michiru scoffed and threw a small cheese cube at the blonde, making her cover her face in defense.

"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, Michiru-san." Haruka looked for some food to throw in response, deciding a cookie to be the best weapon choice. She threw it so it hit the tip of the smaller girl's nose.

The aqua-haired woman reached for a sandwich next, hurdling the entire thing right at Haruka. The sandwich made a ‘splat’ as it hit the blonde right in the middle of her face. "Hey now! You didn't see me throwing entire entrées, did you?"

"Nope. I guess that's why I won and you lost." Haruka frowned as she wiped the excess food off her face.

"Now who said anything about you winning." Haruka reached over and began to tickle Michiru's sides, causing her to fall over onto the blanket, laughing the whole way down.

To get a better reach on the girl in front of her, Haruka crawled closer to her, tickling her the whole time. "He—hey! Tha— haha— that's not fair!" The younger girl said between laughs. Hitting at Haruka's arms, she broke the taller girl away from her. Haruka backed up, as she had finished her fun, and won their little game.

Just as Haruka had calmed down and steadied her breathing, the small woman tackled her, bringing her to the ground. Here, she didn't tickle her. She just hovered above the blonde, a new blush on her face as she realized the position they were in.

Haruka was on the ground, her hands being held above her head in a somewhat tight lock. The violinist was on top, and their legs intertwined with each other.

"Hell of a first move, Michiru-san."

“Oh shut up, Haruka." Michiru leaned closer to the blonde's face, an ambitious smirk gracing her lightly glossed lips.

“Haruka now, is it? So I've successfully given you the best date ever? That _was_ the deal, right?"

"I suppose you have, Haruka-san." Neither of them moved. They just lied there, on the blanket, on top of one another, taking in everything each had to offer.

‘She's so perfect. Do I... could I possibly...’ Haruka couldn't think straight when she looked into those emerald eyes. They were bright and full of hope— the opposite of her own.

“You’re perfect, Michiru-san."

‘Shit, Tenoh! You said that shit out loud. Shit!’ Michiru looked down at her with an unreadable expression.

"What do you mean by perfect."

‘Tenoh. For God’s sake. Relax. This is perfect. You are trying to win her heart, aren't you?’ Haruka relaxed and felt her mouth go into a small smirk.

"Everything about you. Your beautiful curly hair, your bright emerald eyes, your sparkling personality. Everything." Michiru couldn't hear most of it, as the extreme blood-rush to her head was almost too much to bear. She felt light headed. Too light headed.

"Haruka..."

The blonde took immediate notice of the look of anguish in Michiru's face and helped her to sit up. "Haruka-san, I... my head... it..." It hit her; Michiru's injury from the day before last. Looking at the girl now, Haruka saw that Michiru's eyes were closed, and her breathing was erratic.

"Hold on tight. We're going to get you to a hospital, okay?" Haruka picked up the small girl and ran as fast as she could to her car.

 

The picnic was left unfinished.

 

{—————}

 

Haruka sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair next to Michiru's sleeping form. The nearest hospital turned out to be in a partnership with Kaioh Corp., so Michiru was able to get immediate attention. The doctors took a look at the younger girl, and had explained that she had a mild concussion and would probably be back awake soon. That was a few hours ago, and Haruka was growing nervious. She looked at Michiru, who seemed peaceful.

Recalling the conversation with the doctor, Haruka remembered that Michiru's family had been contacted, but they seemed like they weren't very concerned. Haruka grimaced. ‘Stupid-ass rich people.’ Michiru, as famous as she was among the people of Japan, was overall the forgotten child of the Kaioh family. Sure, she could play the violin among other amazing talents, but she was the youngest child, meaning she wouldn't inherit any money or power from her father. This didn't really bother her, but it would mean that she had to work harder than any of her other siblings would ever have to. Haruka admired this about Michiru, among other things.

"The doctor said you'd be fine, so why don't you wake up? I mean, I miss you. You totally ruined our date back there, and I spent so much time putting it together. I'm not mad at you or anything, I just want you to wake up so I can hear your laughter." Haruka felt like she was talking to a rock, as Michiru didn't respond. How could she? She was asleep.

"Ugh. Why am I so infatuated by everything you do? God, I have a mission. I shouldn't feel this way, especially since I've only known you for what, two days? Three? And yet I find myself completely attracted to everything about you. God, I'm sure I sound like a crazy person right now, don't I?" Haruka reached out and tucked a stray strand of aqua hair behind the girl's ear. "I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that I've fallen helplessly in love with you."

To this, the smaller girl slowly opened her eyes and a weak smile graced her lips.

 

“You have?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cringed reading this chapter from a year ago. I’m so glad I decided to revisit and finish this story, because it had potential. Old me just couldn’t write lol


	5. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michiru seeks a few important clarifications.

"You have?"

 

Haruka's face flushed. "No! I mean... I... how much of that did you hear?" 'You've done it now, Tenoh. Leave it to you to expose your secret.'

"You said that you're in love with me. So... I are you? Or..." Michiru was so focused on the odd way she was woken up that she didn't really even process where she was.

Haruka looked at her with a silent look of longing. "Y... ye-"

 _Knock_ _knock_. The hospital-room door was pounded on, interrupting their all-too-important conversation. Haruka sighed and stood up from the side of the bed.

Michiru took this time to finally look around her. She noticed that she wasn't at the park at all; instead she was laying in a hospital bed. 'What even happened? Wasn't I just at the park? Oh no, I must have passed out. I'm such a dumbass. Haruka and I were just getting to really know each other, too.'

Haruka swiftly walked over and turned the knob. Outside the door was a man in a fast food uniform stood holding a white bag. "The food you ordered, sir?" Haruka quickly threw money at the man, took the food, and aggressively slammed the door in a manner that made Michiru giggle.

"I passed out for who knows how long and you order Chinese food for the room? You certainly are something, Haruka-san." Haruka laughed, her tense features softening.

"The doctor said you'd be awake around now, and I thought you might be hungry when you woke up." The violinist smiled endearingly at the gesture. "Although I ordered the food nearly an hour ago." Michiru shook her head at Haruka's grumbling, however couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"I'm sorry I passed out in the first place. You planned such a nice picnic, too." Haruka shook her hand dismissively in the air.

"Please don't worry about it. It's my fault for not paying attention to your well being. It won't happen again, Michiru-san." Michiru's smile widened as the other spoke.

"Now that I think about it, I threw more food than I ate during that picnic. I am pretty hungry; so what'd you get for me?" Haruka smiled and set down the plastic bag on a small side table next to the bed.

Reaching in, the blonde pulled out a few styrofoam containers. Popping the first one open, the smell of chicken made its way throughout the small room. "General tso chicken with rice..." She set the first box aside and opened the second one. "And beef teriyaki... also with rice. Choose your poison."

"Um... how about... hmm..." Michiru put her fingers over her chin in thought. "The teriyaki. That sounds the least lethal." Haruka looked at her in amusement.

"Lethal?" A playful smirk painted her face as she handed the smaller woman the box and a pair of chopsticks.

"Figure of speech, Haruka." The woman split apart her chopsticks. Noticing the blonde was standing, she sat up in her bed and patted other half which she failed to take up when in this position. "Sit."

Haruka slid herself onto the bed, sitting comfortably in a way that children would typically call 'criss-cross-applesauce'.

"Did you say Haruka? No san? No kun? Not even chan? Just... Haruka?"

"Well that's what you call yourself, isn't it? You can call me just Michiru if it suits you to do so."

"Hear you loud and clear, Michiru-san."

"Did you hear what I just said?" Haruka cleaned out her left ear with her pinky.

"I would hope so. However I've decided that I'll call you what I feel like you are to me. You, the  billionaire; and I, simply Haruka."

"You're so full of it." Haruka hummed in agreement.

They both sat in a comfortable silence, exchanging glances here and there in between taking bites of food. Michiru has finished before Haruka, and was watching the other finish her food.

"Michiru-san. You do know it's rude to stare at people while they eat, right?" The blonde looked at her, catching a small blush.

"We never finished our conversation, Haruka. So... you were saying?"

"What conversation, Michiru-san?" An innocent look was found on her features as she looked up at the violinist.

"You were saying something about how you... loved me, was it?" Their facial expressions flipped; Haruka taking Michiru's blush, and Michiru taking Haruka's smirk.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't be lying if I said that... I di—"

The door swung open to reveal a young man in his mid-twenties.  "Michiru-san. Are you well?" Within an instant, his face went from worry to anger as he saw the blonde so close to Michiru. "Why the hell are you here?"

Haruka felt anger bubbling up within her. 'We were having a moment until this dumbass walked in.'

"Who the fuck are you?" Haruka's response left the man with an angry grimace skewing up his features. He sudden and uncalled-for appearance of this familiar man made Michiru frown, grabbing Haruka's shirt sleeve in an attempt to calm her down. 'Do they know each other? Haruka doesn't seem to know him, but he seems to know Haruka all too well.'

"Erumo-san. I'm okay. What're you doing here, anyway?" The man dressed in a suit immediately straightened himself out.

"Michiru-san. Your father sent me to retrieve you, as the doctor said you were able to leave as soon as you awoke. This information isn't new to you, is it?" Michiru felt her head spin.

"A lot of information is becoming new to me, Erumo-san." Haruka looked from the man to the girl, the scowl still on her face.

"I'll ask you once more, Tenoh. What the hell are you doing here?" Erumo pointed at Haruka accusingly.

"That information doesn't affect you at all, Mister, so why don't you get out of my goddamn face?" Michiru looked at Haruka, wondering if this was the same woman who had just seemingly confessed to her almost lovingly.

"It does, since I'm her bodyguard. I've sworn to make sure she is safe. And you, buddy? You look like you need to take a few steps back from Kaioh-san." Haruka's look of anger faded into a look of confidence, surprising both the man and the smaller woman.

"And if you did a good job at this... well 'job' of yours, then why the hell is Michiru in a hospital bed?" The man's confidence quickly faded, and his face fell. "No words, huh? Well listen, buddy, without me, I'm confident that Michiru-san would be in a much worse state. If anyone here is fit to keep her safe, it's me." The blonde turned away from the man, who stood there almost dumbfounded. Looking at Michiru, she reached for her hand. "Michiru-san. The doctor said you'd be free to leave as soon as you were awake. Let's get out of here."

Michiru smiled her biggest smile and nodded. "Okay."

On the way out of the room, Michiru put her hand on the shoulder of the man. "Erumo-san. Tell my father that I'm fine. That is, if he even cares. Take a week off. Go visit your family."

She was about to leave when the man put his hand on hers in attempt to hold her back. "Michiru-san. Believe me. You will regret going with him." His grip tightened around Michiru's wrist, and she winced. "Don't you know who he is? That's Tenoh Haruka; the son o—"

Haruka grabbed the mans hand, freeing Michiru's. "You don't know what you're talking about, mister." Haruka's voice was low and dangerous, her grip on the man rough beyond what she intended. The man leaned into the blonde's ear, whispering so only she could hear. Her face immediately twisted into an almost scared expression, before the fire in her eyes was lit again and she pushed him against a wall.

"Haruka, it's not worth it. Leave him." Haruka nodded, giving one last squeeze before letting the man go.

"Tenoh, you know I'm right. You can't avoid it, either." The man called after the two women, but they had already disappeared around the turn of the hallway.

 

"You're both going to regret this. You know that, right?"

 

{—————}

 

As they drove in silence, both girls refrained themselves from saying anything that might set off the other. That is, until Michiru's curiosity overtook her.

"Did you know my bodyguard?" She looked at Haruka, who's concentrated face continued to look at the road in front of them.

"Never met him."

"But it seemed like he knew you."

"I've never met him before." Haruka repeated herself in a monotonous voice. Michiru frowned.

"He called your by your name: 'Tenoh Haruka: son of...' And that's another thing. He called you the son. So you are a boy. Are you not?"

"Don't worry about that kind of thing. You know me." Haruka's face looked almost in pain as she looked at Michiru’s expression.

"Not very well though, I'm afraid. Our date got cut short due to... unfortunate circumstances... and thats when I planned on learning everything I could about you. I'd love to get to know you. After all, I guess... I've fallen for you a little too. That is... if you were telling the truth back a the hospital room. God, I’m stupid. I’m sorry I raised my voice, Haruka. I’m just..."

‘This is perfect. Getting to know this girl is the first step to making her fall completely in love with me.’ Haruka smiled.

"Then lets go back to my place. Watch a movie." Haruka gently took her hand off the steering wheel and placed it onto the other girl's hand. "Get to know each other." Michiru looked at their intertwined hands and smiled.

"I'd love that, Haruka."

 

{—————}

 

Haruka opened her apartment door, once again inviting Michiru to enter. The woman smiled as she took her coat off and hung it on the rack. Haruka turned on her television as Michiru sorted through a box of DVDs.

"How about this one?" She held up the CD for a foreign film about aliens. It looked interesting enough, and the box said it had subtitles, so it would be perfect.

"Oh yeah. You'll love that one; assuming you like good movies." Michiru laughed at the brash statement as she put the CD in the tv. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll make us some popcorn." Haruka disappeared into the kitchen, where a popping noise was heard soon after.

Michiru sat down politely on the edge of the sofa, making sure she didn't take up too much space. The blonde walked in with a large bowl of popcorn, soon laughing at the sight that was the ever-proper Michiru.

"Hey. Michiru-san. Make yourself at home. In fact, stand up for a second." Michiru looked confused for a second before shaking her head as she stood.

Haruka had settled down to watch the movie on the old television. Haruka was leaning against the arm of the sofa, her feet propped up on the foot table between them and the tv.

"Now sit down, Michiru. Come here." Michiru laughed before sitting down practically on Haruka's lap, letting the side of her head rest itself on the tall woman's shoulder. Seeing that she was comfortable, Haruka wrapped her arms around Michiru's torso in a protective embrace, a blanket being thrown on top of the two of them by the taller.

Haruka smiled and looked down at the girl who she held. ‘I guess I really love her, don't I? God, what the hell am I going to do? I have to follow through with this assignment. My father was very clear about that.’ She sighed verbally, causing a look of concern to flush Michiru's face. "Are you okay, Haruka?"

"Yeah, Michiru-chan. I'm perfect." Michiru looked up at her.

"Ch- chan?"

"I told you I loved you, didn't I? San seemed too formal." Haruka loosened her hold on Michiru. "I hope you don't mind. Sorry if I offended yo-" Haruka was cut off as the violinist had turned herself around on the blonde's lap. Michiru grabbed her face and quickly touched her lips against the taller woman's.

Haruka was surprised by the girl's action, but was beyond happy by it. She wrapped her arms around the woman and began to kiss her back.

‘God. This is so wrong. My target's daughter is on top of me, kissing me. Hard. Though that's not the problem. My mission technically calls for some romantic stuff. I need to get her to fall in love with me. I guess I succeeded there. The problem is... Why the hell am I kissing back... and why do I feel so content in doing so?’

Haruka pulled back, a thoughtful look on her face. Michiru's eyes were half open, and when she opened them, she immediately noticed the look on the blonde's face.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... I mean..." Michiru trailed off, looking away.

"Michiru-chan~" Haruka reached up and put her hand to the back of the violinist's neck, pulling her down slowly. She paused for a second, looking into the smaller woman's eyes. "I really do love you, you know."

Michiru's heart skipped a beat as her lips softly met the taller woman's. This kiss was slow and soft, unlike the one they had just shared. However, as soft as it was, this one held more love than the first one did.

Almost a minute passed before they broke the kiss. Bracing their foreheads on each other, they caught their breath.

"You certainly kiss like a boy, that's for sure." Michiru said, giggling to herself. Haruka gave an exasperated smile.

"I thought I told you not to worry about stuff like that, Michiru." The Aqua-haired girl shook her head.

"Well, I would like to know exactly who I'm falling in love with. I mean, I'd like to know if I'm gay or not... I guess." Haruka smiled laughed at Michiru's statement.

"Would it bother you if you were?"

"Well, no.... but as a Kaioh, there are certain things that I cannot do. Being involved in a relationship with someone of a different class is basically rule #1. So god only knows what the repercussions would be if I were in a relationship with another female..."

Haruka looked at the woman, who's words seemed to bring her back to reality. "So what are you going to do about that?"

"About what?"

"Your family name. You can't get rid of it, can you?"

"Don't change the subject, Haruka. This is about you and your being either a girl or a boy. Please, Haruka. Just answer me." Her voice was soft, and halfway between an order and s plea.

The blonde sighed, and slowly unbuttoned the dress shirt she had on. "My father... is a man of business. I was to take over for this business when I became of age." Michiru looked down at Haruka's busy fingers. "In the streets were I grew up, women weren't typically in any roles of leadership or power, so when my older sister was born to my mother and father, she was given away."

Michiru looked up at the blonde's face, which was blank in thought as she finished unbuttoning her top. The blonde took off the top, revealing a white tank top underneath. "A few years later, I was born. During my birth, my mother... passed away."

Michiru felt a small tear go down her cheek as she listened to the story offered to her. Haruka nodded at the small woman, as if to give the answer for a question unspoken. Reaching over, the violinist slowly pulled the tank top off. A small smile graced her lips as she was greeted with a black sports bra, covering up the blonde's intimate parts.

"To my parents, was born another girl. My father was devastated, and in his loss, told the whole world that before my mother died, she had given birth to a healthy baby boy; a Tenoh Haruka." Michiru put her hand gently on Haruka's stomach, feeling the soft skin in front of her.

"And that's about it." Michiru couldn't help but start to cry softly. "Michiru-chan, don't go soft on me here." The blonde teased as she pulled the other girl into a hug. Michiru loved the feeling of Haruka's soft skin against her, and longed for more. Haruka had just revealed her biggest secret to her, ‘so say something, damnit.’ Michiru was at a loss for words, so she just stood there, being held by the woman she had so quickly fallen in love with.

Michiru looked up at the blonde, thinking about what to say.

 

"So... what's your family's business?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was two chapters that I squished into one. It’s a little longer because of that.


	6. Intruder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are shared. And bigger secrets are kept.

"So... what's your family's business?"

Haruka reached over and grabbed her dress shirt from the couch arm, suddenly avoiding eye contact with the other girl. Sliding her arms into the long sleeves of the white shirt, she shook her head. "It's just a small family business. Nothing much."

"Important enough that it needs to be run by someone your father deems worthy, though? Do you sell goods? Or services? Or—" Michiru was cut off by the blonde putting her pointer finger gently on her lips.

"We don't sell anything. The common welfare is our business." Michiru tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't really know what that means, but... it must be important to you. I mean, you've kept such a big part of yourself a secret from the world. I guess that means I should thank you for sharing it with me." Michiru stopped any words coming from Haruka's parted lips by reaching up and caressing her cheeks. "So thank you, Haruka."

A small yawn came out of the violinist, causing the blonde to smirk. "It's late. You should get some sleep. Come on, you take the bed. I'll take the couch."

Michiru vigorously shook her head. "No. The couch is uncomfortable. I'll take it. I've slept there before, so it's fine."

"Well I'm not letting you sleep there again if you find it uncomfortable. I already called the couch, so it's mine."

"Don't be silly. I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere, so it's fine, okay?"

"We could sleep together." The blonde's statement made Michiru blush in spite of herself. "I mean, we're both girls, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?" Michiru laughed.

"Okay, okay. We can sleep together. Just stay of your side of the bed, okay? I need my beauty rest." Michiru smiled.

"Deal."

The two of them walked into Haruka's room, both just then realizing how tired they were.

Haruka walked to the corner of the room to a small dresser, pulling out a t-shirt. She threw it at Michiru, who almost dropped it upon catching it.

"Put this on." Michiru gave her a skeptical look. "You don't want to sleep in your dress, do you?" The violinist thought about it for a second, then shrugged.

"Okay fine... just turn around. No peeking, okay?" Haruka nodded her head, trying to hide the smile that creeped up her face.

"Okay, then. I'll get dressed over here while you get dressed over there. Just... face the wall, okay?"

Haruka reached into the drawer and grabbed herself a tank top and some shorts. Turning to the wall closest to the door, the blonde began to take her dress shirt back off.

On the other side of the room, Michiru had already finished putting on the large t shirt, and wondered if Haruka had finished.

"Haruka, are you done yet?" She turned around to see the tall woman in red and white plaid pajama pants and a black tank top. Haruka, upon seeing the smaller woman, paused to take in the sight that was Michiru, who usually wore expensive dresses or outfits. Now, though, she was wearing only a large t-short advertising the nearest burger joint (which Haruka is pretty sure she's never been to, never mind how she acquired a shirt for the place), and Haruka can't help but chuckle.

"What's funny? Do I have something on my face?" Michiru looked into the nearest mirror, wiping nonexistent food off her face with her finger.

"Yeah. Don't you see it?" Haruka grabbed the violinist's chin so she was meeting her eyes. She leaned in a little so she could feel the other's breath. "Right... here." Reaching up, the blonde ran her thumb over Michiru's bottom lip. Michiru's face was a bright shade of red, making Haruka smirk.

'She is everything I want... but she's everything I can't have. My father forbid me from entering a relationship with anyone, because he said it would interfere with my work. Her lips though. I can't just kiss them. Sure, We've kissed, but she started it. God. I can't go on like this. Everything is moving way too fast.' Haruka frowned at her thoughts as she took her hand slowly away from the violinist's face.

"Got it off." Haruka turned around and started tossing the covers off the bed. Michiru was left standing by her self in a state of mild confusion. "Which side of the bed do you want, Michiru-chan?"

"There's not enough room for two sides, is there, Haruka?" She smiled as she walked over to the taller girl, patting her on the shoulder before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I thought we agreed to stay on our respective sides?"

"I don't seem to recall that at all."

"You need to get your brain checked, Michiru-chan." Michiru laughed at the brash statement.

"Lay down, Haruka. It's late." Haruka sighed in fake exasperation before taking her place next to Haruka. Both girls were about to fall off of the single bed in the position they were in, and both realized something needed to change.

Michiru suddenly turned to Haruka, and pressed her face in the crook of the taller girl's neck. Haruka smiled down at the girl before wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.

"Night, Haruka."

"Night. Michiru-chan."

A few minutes passed, and Haruka could tell that Michiru had fallen asleep by her deeper breathing.

'I have to consult my father. There's no way I can kill Kaioh-sama. His daughter... nevermind the fact we've known each other for a few days... has made me soft'. Haruka brushed a stray lock of aquamarine hair out of the woman's tranquil face. 'There's absolutely no way I could break her heart like that. This is so stupid. In the morning I'm going to my father. I can't go through with this mission.'

Haruka continued to lay down for another fifteen minutes, the thoughts in her head going ramped.

'Just the way she touched me was filled with love.' Haruka suddenly froze. 'She knows I'm a girl. Shit. Father said never to tell anyone, no matter what happens.' Now panicking, she felt the whole bed shaking in response to her own movements, and decided she needed some fresh air.

Slowly and craftily, she etched herself out of the violinist's embrace. Making sure the floor boards didn't creak, Haruka tip toed to the kitchen, where she grabbed a pad of paper and pen.

 

Michiru-chan.

I have something I need to do. I'll be back before breakfast.

~Haruka

 

Looking for a place to leave her note, she thought of where Michiru would see it first. Probably the fridge. Haruka grabbed a magnet from a drawer and hung up the sign on it.

Haruka grabbed her coat and quickly walked out the door, only half thinking of where she needed to go.

 

{—————}

 

She gripped the steering wheel with so much force that she felt her knuckles turn white. Turning left here, and right there, she eventually found herself at an old brick building. She pulled her car up to the building, and pulled the gear into park.

Stepping out of the car, she hardly noticed people around her, gawking at the bosses son wearing pajama bottoms.

Checking her wrist watch as she entered the building, she realized how late (or early) it was. ‘2:36am. Good thing Father doesn't sleep during nighttime, or I would have to wait around ‘till morning.’

As she walked down a long hallway, she passed armed men wearing their usual expensive suits. She was suddenly feeling underdressed as she looked down at her own clothes—or pajamas in her case.

Finally reaching a large door, two men on either side opened it for her. She walked in, a sudden fear overtaking her. ‘What the fuck am I doing here? This is so goddamn stupid.’

"Haruka-Chan. What are you doing here?" A booming voice emitted from a tall man sitting in a big chair. "And... in your pajamas?"

"I've... I've come to tell you... that I... I—"

"Out with it, Son."

"I cannot complete the job you assigned to me."

The room entered a thick silence as both parties thought about what Haruka said. "It's only been 3 days, and you already give up? You've never failed to complete a job. So why now, when I need you the most?"

Haruka paused and thought before answering, usually unlike her. "Kaioh-sama's daughter. One Kaioh Michiru. I... I cannot bring myself to kill her father."

The man scoffed in disgust. "Leave us." With his words, all the guards in the room exited and closed the door behind them, leaving the two Tenohs alone. "What are you telling me, Haruka?"

Haruka gulped. "I've... grown fond of the girl, and... I just couldn't hurt her like that."

The elder Tenoh stood up from his chair with a grunt and stomped over to the blonde. Raising his hand in the air, he quickly brought it down to Haruka's face with great force. The slap echoed throughout the musty room, causing Haruka to grip her cheek in pain.

"Everything I've worked for will not be brought down by my idiot, good-for-nothing daughter! I swear to that. You will not develop feelings for his girl, or I'll have you killed." His outburst made her tremble where she stood. Also unlike her.

"If you fail to execute Kaioh-sama before the ball, you will be executed yourself!" Haruka weakly nodded. "Now get out of my sight. You have a job to complete."

Haruka nodded again and turned away from her father, who walked back to his chair. Running back to her car, the blonde never felt so small.

 

{—————}

 

Michiru's legs rubbed against each other under the thick covers of Haruka's twin-sized bed. Sleepily grunting, she slowly opened her eyes. Spreading her arms and legs out across the small bed only caused her to realize that she didn't run into to anyone.

She sat up, looking around the slightly chilly room. "Haruka?" Her voice echoed throughout the whole apartment, and yet she received nothing in response.

Michiru sighed and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. The coldness of the floor contrasted the warmth of her body as she walked out of the bedroom.

The light over the kitchen was on, so she walked in to see if the blonde was eating at... she looked at the clock... 5:13am. She found no blonde. Instead, she found a note.

‘What's so damn important you wake up in the middle of the night to go somewhere? What's so important that I wake up by myself? We didn't do anything last night. I know that. But I learned her secret... ‘

Michiru's thoughts was cut off by a moan. It wasn't sexual... instead... more tired sounding. The violinist walked over to the couch to find a sleeping Haruka clutching a small pillow.

Michiru shook her head and smiled in mirth. ‘What am I going to do with her?’ Michiru walked over to the taller girl and sat down on the edge of the couch. ‘She's so peaceful when he—she sleeps.’

Haruka mumbled something, causing Michiru to smile. Now she's talking in her sleep. I wonder what she's saying. Michiru leaned closer to the blonde in hopes of picking up some of what she was mumbling.

"B—ch I— te..." Michiru leaned in even closer. "F—g kill y— tar..." ‘Did she say kill? Haruka what the hell.’ Michiru silently wondered.

"I'll fucking kill you, you bastard!" Haruka sat up suddenly, her head crashing against the smaller woman's. Her eyes opened to see a violinist laughing and rubbing her head.

Haruka, upon seeing the younger girl in front of her, put her head in her hands. The memories of her fathers words from the night before came back into her mind, and she closed her eyes.

"Bad dream, huh?" Haruka thought about it before nodding silently. Michiru looked at her and tilted her head in concern. "You okay, Haruka? You seem out of it."

Realizing she's made a mistake, Haruka cleared her face of any negativity and shook her head. "No, I'm good. Just tired."

"Maybe you wouldn't be tired if you didn't wake up before the sun did. What was so important, anyway?" Haruka thought carefully about her answer.

"I just had to go and file some papers for work. I realized I forgot to, and my boss needed them by this morning." Michiru believed her, because she couldn't think of any reason why the blonde would lie to her.

"Isn't your dad your boss?"

"Yeah. Good 'ol father 'o' mine." Michiru smiled seductively out of nowhere and put her hand on Haruka's leg. The taller woman blushed and felt it as her breath left her.

"You never did tell me what your 'small family business' is." Haruka panicked. ‘What the fuck is she doing? In fact, nevermind her. Why can't I move? It's like she's cast a spell on me or something. Jesus Christ.’

"Like... like I, uh... told you. We jus-st take care of... the... uh... people." Michiru pushes her hand up the taller woman's leg and smirked at her response. She turned to jelly just like that. God, I love her.

"The... uh... people? That sounds like a lie to me, Ruka." Time seemingly stopped for Haruka, and her face grew unbelievable hot.

Haruka took a second to think, and craftily came up with her next move. She suddenly smirked, causing the violinist to lose hers. "I'm obviously messing with you, Haruka. I do want to know what you do at work, though."

The blonde responded by flipping the smaller girl over, so she was on top and the violinist was on bottom. ‘You know what? Screw it. If I don't complete this job, I die. And my life is more important than this girl's feelings. I will make her love and trust me.’ Haruka brought her face down to the other girl's so they were not even an inch away.

Haruka leaned in against Michiru's ear and breathed, chills going down her spine. "Don't back down now... Michi-chan." She spoke with a low, husky voice that made Michiru sink farther into the couch. Haruka followed her, and the violinist found herself trapped.

Haruka placed her hand on Michiru's thigh, as the other girl had done a minute before. She moved it up her leg painfully slow, causing Michiru to give a little groan of a sound. Haruka smiled into Michiru's ear, and gave the skin below her ear lobe a small bite.

This action caused the smaller woman to make the same sound, only louder. "Nghh." Haruka was fascinated by the fact that she caused that sound, and wanted to hear more. She continued to move her hands up Michiru's leg.

Right as she almost got it under the large t-shirt dress... the door opened.

"The door wasn't locked, so I let myse—" the man stopped and looked at the two women on the couch. Michiru buried her face into Haruka's shoulder, embarrassed beyond herself.

"Huh. Sorry about that, Haruka-kun. I didn't realize you were busy today. Do carry on." Haruka grunted and picked herself up off Michiru.

“Get your ass back here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that if you found this chapter cringy, it was 100000 times more cringy before I revised it. You’re welcome.


	7. Disown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michiru has different ideals that her father wishes she would have.

"No. Get your ass back here." 

 

The man who had walked in on them glanced over at Michiru, who was still red enough to be a tomato. The man laughed. "Who's the pretty girl, Haruka-kun?"

Michiru shook away her embarrassment and looked at him with a skeptical look on her face. "Who are _you_?" Haruka held back a chuckle at the violinist’s sudden change in demeanor.

The man extended his arm to the violinist. "Uragimo Nisai, but you can call me Nisai." He winked at Michiru. "I'm the best friend of the playboy himself." Michiru politely took his hand and gave it one weak shake before dropping it.

She turned to Haruka, her face ridden with mirth. "Playboy, huh?" Haruka shook her head, an exasperated smile on her face.

"And _you_ are?" Michiru turned to Nisai, who looked at her with waiting eyes. "Lady, it's only polite to exchange names. I never caught yours.”

"Kaioh Michiru." Nisai looked her up and down. His face twisted a bit, and he looked at Haruka with an unreadable expression.

"Kaioh, huh? From the Kaioh Corp.?" His eyes remained on Haruka, who's face was now as serious as his own.

"Yes. My father owns the company." ‘Michiru... you idiot.’ Haruka silently pleaded Michiru to simply stop speaking before she...

"Well, Kaioh-san. Would you please excuse me and my best friend for just a minute please?" Michiru just shrugged.

"I'll go change into some actual clothes, then." She turned away from the lot. "Boys," she excused herself sarcastically and walked to the bedroom, closing the door swiftly behind her.

"Haruka-kun! I leave for one week and come back to you doing Kaioh Michiru." He paused to wipe a tear from his cheek. "My little Haruka is all grown up." Haruka slapped him on the arm.

"I wasn't doing her. And I'm older than you.”

"Either way, the daughter of the richest man in Japan was under you wearing nothing but what appears to by your shirt."

"Why did you come here so early in the morning. It's like 6am, Nisai."

"I'm here cause I just got back from my trip and I missed you."

"So why're you here? In my apartment?"

"Can't a guy be worried about his best friend."

"A guy can, but sure as hell not you." Nisai laughed and slapped Haruka on the back.

"Speaking of the girl, you should know better than to bring a girl like her, especially a _Kaioh_ to this part of town. If anyone—besides me—finds out, why, there'd be a riot on your hands. That girl could pay for all of our tickets out of here."

"I know, I know. She was going to be a secret, until you showed up in the middle of... well... it's your fault anybody knows now. That's all I'm saying, Nisai-kun."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Playboy. I'll be leaving now." He grabbed his hat off the table and put it on his head, facing the door. "Oh wait! Is it true you beat up Monoyatu's thugs half a week back?"

Haruka smiled as she remembered when she and Michiru first met. "Yeah, you bastard. Now get out and let me get back to where I left off."

Nisai over-exaggerated in tipping his hat at Haruka. He looked over the tomboy's shoulder and tipped his hat again at a certain girl who had finished changing. "Kaioh-san~"

He shut the door behind him, and left the two girls in silence. "Well he's certainly a character, isn't he?" Haruka turned back to meet Michiru's eyes.

"Can we... continue where we left off?" Haruka walked over to the violinist, who had changed into her clothes from yesterday. She embraced Michiru by her waist. The violinist slung her arms lazily around Haruka’s shoulders in return.

"I have work in half an hour, or I would."Michiru walked out of the hug and collected her purse. "I missed yesterday, so I have to double my work day." Haruka sighed, then walked to the violinist again.

"When will you be back?"

"You talk like I live here." Both girl's smiled at each other for a few seconds, neither ruining the comfortable silence.

"I'll be back around 1:30." Haruka shrugged at her. Michiru started at her in amusement.

"Are you leaving now, or..." Michiru reaches up and touched her finger to the other girl's lips, silencing her words.

"I don't have a car, Haruka. And unless you want me walking outside again..." Haruka laughed.

"You could've just asked, Michiru-chan."

 

{—————}

 

Haruka checked the time on her phone. ‘2:45. She's late. Maybe if she didn't insist on taking a taxi back, she would be here. Did something happen to her?’ Haruka's foot was moving a million miles an hour despite being still sitting down on her couch.

The blonde texted her again.

 

Hey, shorty. You there? You're late, and I was going to make lunch, too.

Just hurry up.

I miss you.

 

{—————}

 

Michiru checked the time on her phone. ‘1:12. I have enough time to go home real quick to grab an extra pair of clothes.’

She flagged a taxi, who looked back for her awaiting command. "Can you take to my apartment first? I forgot something."

"Yeah, Miss."

They rode in silence until the long car stopped in front of her house.

”I’ll be right back.” She quickly opened the car door and sped to her doorstep. For whatever reason, she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She didn’t have to unlock her door because... it was already unlocked.

Slowly opening the door and walking in, she was met with the face she wished not to see. "Michiru-chan."

"Father."

"You never checked in with me yesterday after your hospitalization. Your body guard came to me... saying you left instead with some man." Michiru began to open her mouth, but was cut off by a loud smack. She gripped her face where her father had hit her.

"You will not go messing around, sleeping with whoever you find handsome. You will obey my rules, or get out of my life entirely. Those are your only two options."

Michiru stared at him dumbfounded. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was so sudden, and she felt like the world was spinning around her. While this seemed harsh, this wasn't the first time her father had done something like this.

When Michiru was 16, her father caught her with her friend. They weren't even doing anything. Just sitting on the same bed, studying together. Her father must have thought they were actively having sex or something, because he kicked her out the same day. Sure, his punishment only lasted for about a day and a half, but it was there nonetheless.

Michiru could tell this time was different, though. This time, he hit her. Looking into her father's eyes, she felt strength building up in her.

"I will leave then. Don't get me wrong. I'll still attend family events and such, but I cannot stand to be around you, Father. I simply cannot take it anymore. I'm done with this house, this family, and I'm done with you."

Her father looked at her with disgust. "Then leave." His words were a harsh whisper, and Michiru stomped up to her room, where she began to fill a bag with her belongings.

 

{—————}

 

Haruka looked at the time once more. “It's almost 3:00. I really hope she's okay.” Just as the words left her mouth, the door opened. The blonde quickly turned around to see Michiru holding a large bag.

Haruka was about to tease her for being so late, until she saw tears forming in the smaller woman's eyes. "Michiru... are you okay?" At her words, Michiru broke down.

Haruka ran over to the girl who had fallen to her knees, crying into her hands. The taller woman knelt beside her, throwing her arms around the violinist. Michiru cried into Haruka's shoulder for a few minutes before she had the courage to speak.

"My father... he disowned me."


	8. Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka and Michiru question the nature of their odd relationship—and reach some conclusions.

"My father... he disowned me."

 

'This is.... very bad. If she's been disowned... then she won't be invited to the gala in a few weeks time. And then I won't have an easy way in. Which means I won't be able to assassinate her father. My father'll have my head.' Haruka's face twisted to only half faked disbelief.

"He what?"

Haruka sniffed, her nose starting to run a little due to her tears. Haruka reached up and wiped a tear from the violinist's cheek. "He thinks I went home with a man last night... and he gave me a choice. To never see you again... or pack my bags. To get out of the apartment he was paying for.

'And she chose me. This job might actually be easier than I thought. Although none of that will matter if she doesn't attend the damn gala.'

"Are you still part of the family?" Haruka asked, looking the other woman straight in the eyes. Michiru sighed.

"Why does it even matter? There's no way I can show my face around my father again. My father... he's all the family I've really got. My older siblings never really liked me. They'd ignore me and play tricks on me until I would cry. Everyone's given up on me, Haruka. Even my own family." Haruka reacted quick, taking Michiru's hands in her own.

"Well then... if they're not there for you... then can I be your family?"

Michiru smiled at the boldness of the remark. "In what way, Haruka?" In response, the blonde enveloped her in a quick yet tight embrace.

"As if that wasn't obvious enough..." She paused, and grabbed Michiru's chin, tilting it up. The violinist looked up at her, her face full of either longing or playfulness.

Placing a quick kiss on Michiru's nose, Haruka continued. "My lover."

Michiru smiled. "I think I can live with that." She placed a kiss on the tip of Haruka's nose, making the taller woman playfully narrow her eyes. "Should we continue from earlier?"

Haruka smirked as she leaned in to fill the remaining space in between the two. Noticing how quickly the shorter girl closed her eyes and parted her lips in anticipation, Haruka smirked. "I think you should unpack your bag first." Michiru slowly opened her eyes to see Haruka reaching down to grab her heavily-packed bags.

"So... I can stay here?"

"Of course. I can't have you living on the streets."

"What should we do about sleeping arrangements, though? That bed was barely big enough for both of us." Both girls thought for a second before either spoke.

"I can probably fit a bigger bed in that bedroom. Maybe get a double bed. That'd be better then the twin-sized one I have right now." Haruka picked up the other of Michiru's bags and carried them into the bedroom. Michiru followed, a look of worry suddenly on her face.

"I'll pay for the new bed."

"No. Despite how it may appear, I do have quite a bit of money under my belt."

'Just not enough to leave my father.'

"No. I really do insist."  She put her hand on Haruka's. The taller woman looked at her, an amused smile on her face.

"Well I guess I can't stop you if you insist. But if that's the case, then I'm buying you dinner tonight." Michiru thought about the deal for a second, then nodded.

They both pulled out clothes and items from the large tote bag. Shirts, skirts, and dresses were sorted and placed in the bottom drawer. Haruka moved some clothes of her own around to make room for Michiru's, but space wasn't much of a problem, as neither of them had more than 10 outfits. Haruka never thought spending money on lots of clothes was practical, and Michiru could bring her favorite clothes.

Haruka pulled out one of Michiru's bras from the bag and held it in the air. "Cute color," She commented, her voice sarcastically impressed. Michiru shook her head and sighed in exasperation. After a quick tug of war over the clothing item, it was placed in the top drawer. Finally finished, they sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Let's head out. It's still early in the afternoon. We can pick out a new bed and get some dinner..." Haruka leaned over and softly kissed Michiru's cheek. "Then we can continue where we left off. If that's you want."

Michiru gave a cute smile. "That sounds wonderful, Haruka."

 

{—————}

 

The two of them arrived back home later that night, still full from the rather large meal they had just eaten.

After almost 20 minutes of contemplating, they had decided on a small Italian restaurant near Michiru's old house. The owner was an old friend of the family, so they were fed well for the price they payed for the meal.

"I just got a call the furniture store, and they said they're on their way to deliver the bed we picked out earlier." Haruka said as she took off her coat and hung it up.

As if right on cue, the doorbell rang. Michiru turned to the door and opened it.

"Good evening, Miss." Michiru nodded at the men. "Sorry we're late. Traffic was terrible on the way here." Haruka watched the men, who carried the mattress through the door and into the bedroom. "What should we do with the old bed?"

"Can you just take it? I won't be it anymore."

"Certainly, Sir." The men replaced the bed and carried the old one out the door. "Night, Sir! Miss!"

The men had come and gone in under 10 minutes; something Haruka didn't really expect from a small mattress store. She turned around to comment about it to the smaller woman, but was effectively cut off when soft lips collided against her own.

The two of them stumbled backwards, running right into the wall. Haruka grunted from the impact, breaking their kiss.

"You okay?" Michiru looked up at the blonde with worry. In a quick response, Haruka took the girl's hands in her own. Michiru wasn't opposed to the action, but was confused nonetheless at Haruka's gentle action.

This confusion quickly melted away as Haruka spun her around and pinned her hands above the other girl's head.

"Very sly, Ruka."

"You know it... Michi-chan." The girls smirked at their nicknames for each other. Neither girl moved for a minute. They just stood, taking in each other. Michiru was the first to speak.

"Are we... are we taking this too fast? I mean... we've only known each other for what? Maybe a week? Maybe less. Yet I can't help but feel I've known you forever."

'Shit.' Haruka silently cursed. 'If she's having second doubts about this... then... breathe, Haruka. She likes you. You know she does. And you, for whatever reason like her back. Just play it cool.'

"I can understand that." Haruka carefully chose her words. "But... I don't feel like we're moving things too fast at all because of that fact." Michiru still seemed a little unsure, so Haruka decided to take it a little farther. "It almost seems like we're... soulmates, Michiru."

And that's all it took. Michiru smiled in contentment. "Yeah, it does." She proclaimed softly. 'Damn. Girl really are easy to get. They fall easily for that destiny and soulmate shit.'

Haruka pressed herself closer to Michiru, who was still pinned firmly to the wall. "So are we going to continue? It's okay if you don't want to."

Michiru thought about the question for not a second and then smiled. "I thought you'd never ask, Ruka."

Haruka dipped down and took the smaller girl's mouth with her own. Michiru was surprised at how fast her hands tried to wrap themselves around Haruka’s neck. However, they stayed firmly in place above her head, where Haruka was still holding them. Haruka smirked against Michiru’s lips as she tilted her head for better access to the other girl’s mouth. The kiss was rough, and growing in heat.

"Nghh." The noise the blonde heard from earlier that day was heard again as it vibrated against her mouth. Once again enchanted by the small sound, Haruka slowly worked the hand that wasn't holding Michiru's above her head, up the violinist's dress.

She rode the black dress up a little bit... and then suddenly stopped as her hand rested on a band around the girl's upper thigh. It was black and made of lace... and held a small knife.

The knife's blade was covered by a sheath, but either way, a knife is a knife. Haruka slowly took the band off of the girl's leg. She tested its weight it in her hand and held up the knife for Michiru to see what she’d found. The blonde had a look of confusion on her face, but a smirk nonetheless.

"What is this?" Haruka was smiling while shaking her head, while Michiru had a small look of fear covering her features.

"A girl has to protect herself. I always carry a pocket knife with me." Haruka looked at her like she was coaxing her to tell the truth. "Okay... fine. I started carrying one after what happened... when we met. I don't want to need to be saved all the time." Haruka’s smirking expression turned into one of mild concern.

"Well what's the use of having a knife if you can't use it? Anyways, I can protect you when you're with me. You don't need to worry." Michiru smiled contently.

“I know.” Haruka smiled at the girl’s soft response and carefully tossed the covered knife to the table, where it collided with a small stack of papers.

Haruka slowly leaned down to Michiru’s ear. “With that gone, there’s nothing stopping me from just...” Haruka reached her hand down to the hem of Michiru’s dress and once again began to pull the fabric up. “... taking you right here.”

“Wait.” Michiru’s word stopped all actions. Haruka looked up at her with concern. Maybe she’d taken it too far.

“What’s wrong, Michiru?”

“Can we move this to the bed? The wall isn’t very comfortable.” Haruka smiled.

“Of course.”

 

{—————}

 

Michiru slowly opened her heavy eyes. She felt a comforting warmth surrounding her form, and smiled contently. The source of the warmth was none other than the two girls pressed together in a tight embrace.

She looked up slightly to see Haruka's sleeping face. The blonde's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist in a protective way.

Michiru began to ponder in the silence that consumed the small bedroom.

‘This girl must’ve put me under some spell.’ She reaches up and brushed a stray hair out of Haruka’s face. ‘Soulmates, huh? I don’t even doubt that we are. Everything about her is so... familiar. And comforting. God, what am I even saying. I know who she really is.’

Haruka stirred, and Michiru quickly closed her eyes, pretending she was lost deep within her dreams. "Morning, Michiru."

The smaller girl sighed. "Morning Haruka." She placed a kiss on the other girl's nose. "Just out of curiosity, how did you know I was awake?"

"Your breathing is different from when you are asleep and when you're awake."

"You've memorized my breathing, then?"

"You could say that. Yeah."

"You're a nut, you know that, right?"

Haruka propped herself above the violinist who, much like the blonde, was wearing only her bra and underwear.

They both smiled and just looked at each other, until Michiru's face became faintly concerned and distant. "What... what exactly happened last night? I don't remember anything after we went to the bed... and I'm still wearing my underwear..."

Haruka smirked as she remembered the night before. "Well, things were getting pretty heated, and then I looked at your face... only to find you asleep." Michiru blushed, suddenly embarrassed. "And you looked so cute I couldn't wake you up."

"I'm sorry, Haruka. So much happened yesterday, and I guess I just couldn’t stay awake any longer." Now Michiru smirked. "You didn't do anything to me while I slept, did you?" Haruka laughed and shook her head.

"No, Michiru." She playfully smacked the smaller girl's arm. "Unlike you, I have morals."

"Unlike me?" Haruka laughed. "You know, Haruka, that's the smartest thing you've said since I've met you." Both girl's smiles slowly disappeared at Michiru's remark.

"Hey Haruka?"

"Hm?"

"Can I tell you... my biggest secret? You told me yours... and I feel bad for not telling you mine." ‘Maybe it has something to do with her father's company. This'll be good for sure.’

"Of course. What is it, Michiru?"

"I have to show you." Haruka nodded and rolled off of Michiru. They both looked at each other for a good 10 seconds before Michiru continued. "Go ahead and get dressed." Haruka groaned.

"Do I have to?"

"If you want to know my secret, then yes."

"Okayyyyyyy." Haruka groaned again and reached into her drawer, pulling out an outfit for both Michiru and herself.

They quickly got dressed and walked into the living room, where Michiru had led the taller woman. "Michiru... what are we doing in the living room?" The smaller woman reached up and pressed her pointer finger against the taller's lips.

"You'll see. Now help me move this coffee table out of the way." Haruka shook her head in exasperation.

They moved the table out of the way, so there was a great amount of floor space. Michiru walked away from the blonde and into the kitchen. ‘What the hell is she doing?’

The violinist came back with two large kitchen knives. "Woah careful with those, Michiru. You might hurt yourself with those." Michiru held out one of the knives to the blonde. "Is this about what I said last night? You want me to teach you a thing or two?" Michiru laughted.

"No, Haruka.”

“Then what are we doing?” A sly smile reached Michiru’s lips.

“Land a hit on me and I won't fall asleep next time, Ruka."


	9. Raised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michiru reveals her past—and keeps even more secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry in advance.

 

“Land a hit on me and I won't fall asleep next time, Ruka."

 

Haruka looked at Michiru as if she didn't hear the younger girl right.

"Huh?" Michiru moves her own blade from one hand to another playfully.

"If you can hit me with that knife," she gestured to the kitchen knife she had handed to the blonde, "then I promise that next time... I won't fall asleep." Haruka narrowed her eyes playfully and smirked.

"I'm game if that's the prize... but Michiru... you want me to hit you with the blade? And this is your big secret...?"

Michiru smiled and shook her head. "Just trust me, okay?" Haruka nodded and put on her game face. Haruka was no stranger to knife combat. After being raised the way she was, she could take out an enemy with her bare hands if need be. This should be nothing compared to the gang leaders she usually spared with.

She playfully leapt at the smaller girl, her knife pointed at Michiru's.

'Just tag her. Don't hurt her. Just take her knife and you can get your prize.'

Haruka swung her knife at Michiru's expecting an instant win.

Expecting.

Before Haruka could blink an eye, Michiru disappeared from her place on the carpet, leaping to safety from Haruka's blade. Haruka felt a strong force from her back, which made her stumble forward, almost losing her balance. She quickly turned around to face a violinist, and a knife pointed at her.

Michiru laughed at Haruka's surprised expression.  "There are many things I wish to share with you. For one, I know how to use a knife, Haruka."

"No no no. You didn't even use your knife there, Michiru. You just... jumped behind me. Which, may I add, isn't very fair in a knife fight." Haruka smirked. "In fact, as far as I'm concerned, you, in fact, do not know how to use a knife." At Haruka's words, the violinist's mouth became a line horizontal to her eyes.

"A knife, a gun... even my hands... I know how to use them all to take down an enemy." Haruka laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. Michiru took this time to dart forward towards Haruka. The blonde reflexively put her own up to block, and the girls found themselves at a stalemate as they pushed against each other's playful attack.

'I should probably end this now before she gets hurt.' Haruka decided silently. With that thought, Haruka moved her blade across Michiru's, the force driving the violinist's blade into the air momentarily. Haruka used this distraction to quickly swing the blade towards Michiru (yet not with enough speed to do any harm to the girl).

And then it happened again. In a flash, Haruka lost sight of the other girl.

"I should know. My father's been training me since I was a kid." A voice behind Haruka caused her to spin around. Once again, Michiru stood there, much to Haruka's surprise, held two knifes in hand. The blonde inspected her hand, only to find that her own blade was missing.

Haruka lost her smirk. 'Her father?'

"Believe me now, Haruka?" A proud smile quirked Michiru's lips as she commented.

"What do you mean when you say that your father trained you, Michiru?"

Michiru, a serious look now on her face, paused, thinking of what to say in response. "When I was little, my mother passed away. The news told the public of a horrible disease taking her life." Michiru walked over to Haruka and pointed the knife at her playfully, her face paradoxically forming a sad frown.

"She was murdered." Haruka looked down at the girl's face to find no tears. A look of saddened determination was painted across her face instead. "By a gang who hates my family. After the deed was done, their leader promised they would come back for my father and I.

"So my father did what any father would do. To protect me, he hired a man to come every day and put me through intensive training. Self defense and offense. I can use any type of gun. Any blade. My father wouldn't let me go to school until I was 16, because he was afraid I would be attacked there.

"When I wasn't training in fighting, I was practicing violin. Or painting. Or... anything else to get my mind away from the fact that... my mother wasn't going to come back."

"What gang... killed... your mother?" Haruka almost yelled the question, even though she knew what the violinist would answer with. Michiru looked at the taller woman with blank eyes.

"The Tenoari." Both were quiet for a minute before Michiru dropped both knifes. Haruka leaned down and embraced the shorter girl, who now looked as if she were about to cry.

"The Tenoari. Aren't they the ones who target rich and famous?" Haruka clarified, again already knowing the answer. Michiru nodded.

"Well... I'll keep you safe."

               

                    It's her or me.

 

"Like I said; I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

 

              I'll manipulate her to my

       heart’s content to achieve my goal.

 

"Because I love you."

     

               And to do so, I must

             push down my feelings.

 

Michiru looked up at Haruka and smiled. "I love you too." She pressed her face into Haruka's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Haruka decided to take this as her chance, and quickly tapped Michiru's back with the knife she had quickly taken from the ground.

Michiru shot up. "Haruka what the hell."

"Now you can't fall asleep. Those were the rules, right?" The violinist shook her head and laughed, wiping a stray tear off of her cheek.

"We have things to do today, Haruka. Remember? We agreed to go shopping for groceries and a new lightbulb for the kitchen light." Haruka looked at her blankly.

"Michiru. If you don't want to... do that kind of stuff... you know you can tell me, okay?" Michiru was taken aback my the other girl's remark.

"No, I do. But I recall the deal being next time I won't fall asleep. Not right now, Haruka." The taller girl laughed and walked over to the door, putting on her shoes.

"Let's get going then."

 

{—————}

 

The wind blew Michiru's long curly hair behind her as Haruka drove down the highway. Michiru shifted her foot from the grocery bag which lie at her feet.

Michiru shifted uncomfortably, not because of her invaded leg room, but because of her thoughts.

"Haruka?" The blonde, who was driving the car with one hand casually on the steering wheel, turned her head to the other woman. She tilted her head slightly in questioning.

"Hm?"

"Can you drive me to my work building? I think I forgot my binder of sheet music." Michiru's voice was, for whatever reason, almost confident, yet Haruka felt a small sense of anxiety in the violinist's words. She shook off this feeling as she continued to drive the car, now down a certain road.

As they pulled up to the building, Michiru stepped out of the car which was parked in front of her destination. "I'll just be a few minutes. Wait here?"

Haruka shrugged. "Okay. Try to hurry up though... I'm hungry." Michiru smirked.

Turning away from the car, she waved back at Haruka. "Sounds like a plan."

Her smile immediately wiped itself from her face as soon as she opened the doors to the tall building.

'I'm sorry, Haruka. Please understand in the future why I do what I do.'

She walked up a staircase, down a hall, and into a small room. She gulped. "Sir." Within the room, a small desk littered with paperwork containing varying levels of importance. Behind the desk sat a slim man with dark hair and eyes. His appearance was... for lack of a better term, the neighborhood dad. Maybe in his late forties, the man held a sense of kindness in his mannerisms. Yet on top of this fact, the suit he sported instead hinted at the importance of the man.

"Michiru-chan. This is a surprise." The violinist bowed to the man in the suit that sat before her. He gave her a small bow in return before continuing. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I found him." The man arched his eyebrow.

"Who, Michiru-chan?" The man offered her to sit, of which she waved her hand in dismissal.

"Tenoh Haruka." To this statement, the man's eyes grew wide. He looked at her in disbelief.

"Tenoh... as in..."

"As in the Tenoari organization? I'm sure of it." The man quickly wiped the surprised expression off his face, changing it to a more serious one. "He is Tenoh Haruka. Son of their leader."

"How did you make contact with the boy?"

Michiru smirked. "Let's just say... he found me." The man jumped in his chair.

"Did he attack you?!" Michiru quickly shook her head, a calm smile still gracing her features.

"No. Actually, I think he wants to play a little game with me." The man tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

"How so?"

"He's not said a word about Tenoari, and has been nothing but... kind to me." Michiru smoothed out a small crease in her light blue skirt.

"Do you know what he wants from you?"

"I'm guessing he's waiting either for the right moment to kill me or get close to my father to kill him."

"Has he... told you anything about himself that might serve as a weakness? Any secret of his that slipped?" Without a second of thought, Michiru responded.

"No. None." The man nodded.

"Will you need backup?" Michiru simply laughed at the comment and waved her hand.

"No. It's quite alright."

"May I ask why you checked in if you don't need anything?"

"I simply wanted to fill you in on the situation. Don't worry. You've trained me well enough for the day when the Tenoari return. I mean, all forms of martial arts, swords, effective poisoning techniques? That's pretty excessive if you ask me."

The man chuckled. "You know it was your father's orders." Both lost their smile as they slowly came back to the problem at hand.

"So, Michiru-chan. What's your move? Are you going to take him out?"

"Yes. But not like that." The man was slightly confused by her statement.

"He's quite handsome, and I think he's taken something of a liking to me."

'And I to her.'

"I'm going to wait this out. See what his plan is. After all, I'm quite curious."

The man shook his head. "Michiru-chan... always so boy-crazy." Michiru chuckled.

"Indeed."

"Either way, stay safe out there, okay?"

"Will do, Awazana-san."

Michiru glances at the time only to find that it had been 10 minutes, and she had left Haruka waiting for her during that time.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've left the boy in question outside for ten minutes waiting in his car for my return." Awazana shook his head as she turned out of the room, down a hallway, down some stairs and out the lobby door.

She entered the car to find Haruka looking up at the sky. "Earth to Haruka! I'm back!"

Haruka looked at her. "It's been hours. At least tell me you found your notebook or whatever it was." Michiru shook her head.

"In the end, I couldn't find what I was looking for." Haruka shook her head.

"You're an odd one, Michiru-chan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I stopped writing a year ago. That means that from this point on, I’m actually developing plot from scratch. Updates might be slower, but I’m determined to finish this story! 
> 
> Also, I feel like there should definitely be smut in this story, however I’ve never actually wrote any. Because of this, there might be a delay in later chapters as I research and practice my skills in that category.
> 
> That is if I can write it without blushing too much lmao.


	10. Forsaken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With many secrets kept from each other, how could Haruka and Michiru possibly keep up what they have?

"You're an odd one, Michiru-chan."

 

Deep down, Haruka doubted her words, but decided against saying anything otherwise.

Following the winding roads of the now 'bad' part of town, the two of them simultaneously had the sudden invasive thought that something bad was about to happen.

Without a word from either girl, they scanned the sides of the road for anybody who would be mean trouble. What was even more troubling was the fact that nobody seemed out of the ordinary.

In fact, they couldn't seem to spot anyone at all on the usually crowded streets. "Not very busy outside today, is it?" Michiru commented nervously, understanding that Haruka had noticed the same thing.

Haruka didn't respond, opting instead to drive faster. She pushed her foot down harder on the gas petal and the car considerable sped up. "Haruka?"

They quickly arrived back at their apartment due to Haruka's ignorance of traffic laws. The blonde turned to Michiru and looked at her with a completely blank face. "Michiru-chan. Listen carefully. I'm going to go into the house to check something. I need you to stay here. Lock the doors and stay in here. Do not move, and wait for my signal."

"Haru-

"When you see my signal, run into the house as fast as you can. Okay?"

"Why, Haruka? Do you know what's going on?" Haruka leaned in and gave the other woman a small peck on her lips. The taller gave a reassuring smile.

"It'll be okay. Do you understand what you have to do?" Michiru thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"I understand."

"Good. I'll explain everything once you get inside." Michiru watched as Haruka pulled a small handgun out of her inner coat pocket.

Opening the door, the blonde stepped out of the car. She slowly walked up to her porch, and looking at the door, she could tell it was unlocked.

She took the gun in her right hand and flipped safety off. Haruka paused and breathed heavy. She tested the familiar weight in her hand silently. Collecting herself, she kicked open the door, her gun ready to shoot anybody in her line of vision.

Moving quickly into the building, she pointed her gun around.

_Crashhhhh_

A booming sound emanated from the kitchen. Haruka quickly dashed into the room. "Put your hands up!" The tall figure jumped, hitting his head against the wall-mounted cabinets.

"Jesus Christ.” The man rubbed his head. “What the hell, Haruka-kun?" Haruka immediately identified the man as her friend, Nisai.

She put down her gun and put safety back on. "Why are you in my house again? I'm damn sure I locked the door this time." Nisai put a cracker in his mouth as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a house key. ‘Fucking idiot. I was going to eat those.’

"Spare key, Tenoh." Nisai smiled goofy-like, making Haruka become at ease. “You gave me one that one time when your dad—

"I asked why you were in my house. Not how you got in. And where is everyone? Nobody is on the streets. Everything is all weird and I walk into my house to see you eating my damn food.”

“I heard you got a job you were having trouble with. I came to help.” Haruka’s blood ran cold at his words.

“What the hell do you mean? Who told you about the job?” Nisai shook his head, a kind smile on his face.

“Don’t worry. No information leaked. Actually, Haruka, it was your father came to me.”

“And what did he say... Nisai-kun?”

“Your father simply explained the situation to me. Your goal is to assassinate the CEO of Kaioh Corp. right? And to do that you needed someone to get you in the gala he’s hosting in a couple weeks. That’s why you made contact with Kaioh Michiru.” Haruka remained silent.

“But that’s where your dad gets angry, my friend. You totally fell in love with the chick, didn’t you?” At Haruka’s continuing silence, Nisai assumes his words were true.

“Either way, your dad assumes you couldn’t carry out your mission without... some help. That’s why I’m here, Haruka-kun.” Haruka walked towards the man slowly, her face still ice.

“What’s your roll in all of this, Nisai-kun? I don’t suspect you’d come here to hurt me.”

"I suppose my roll is... to distract you." Nisai put the last cracker into his mouth and brushed the crumbs off his hands and onto his jeans. Haruka looked at him skeptically.

"Distract me? From what, Nisai-kun?" The man chuckled.

"I wouldn't be too worried about that, Haruka-kun. After all, isn’t there something more important to be thinking about? Like the pretty girl waiting for ya outside." Haruka finally put together what was happening. Turning around quickly, she made her dash for the door.

"Michiru!" A small explosion hit the wall beside her, and she turned around to see her friend pointing a gun at her.

"I'm sorry, Haruka-kun. But your father is offering a decent price for that girl's head, and you know I have a kid I have to take care of." Haruka grimaced. "In fact, everyone in Tenoari has her eyes on her. So, I was able to rally a few people to help me."

“So what? Money over friendship? Jesus, Nisai-kun. I didn’t think you cared about materialistic shit like that.” Nisai’s face twisted to a grimace at Haruka’s words.

“Listen Haruka-kun. This has nothing to do with our friendship. Right now, I’m putting family above everything else. You should be able to understand something as simple as that.”

"Nisai. You know that money is mine. Within the organization, I outrank you. Besides. Did you really listen to my father? He said the money went to the head of her father. Not her."

Nisai laughed again, making Haruka's blood boil. She slowly reached for her gun, which she had placed back into her pocket.

"Don't make me shoot you, Haruka-kun." Haruka nodded and pulled her hands out of her pocket. In her right hand, her gun.

"Same goes for you." Her threat made the man mirthfully smile.

"What you don't understand, Haruka-kun, is that your father doesn't trust you to carry out this task. He offered us the same prize for either of the Kaiohs. Michiru-san or her father."

"Why doesn't he trust me? Have I ever failed to complete one of his tasks?" Nisai's face became serious, surprising the blonde.

Both pairs of ears were met with a scream coming from outside. Nisai's smirk returned to him as he walked towards Haruka. "You wanna know something I know about you?" The man spoke to Haruka, his voice lined a hint of sadness.

"When it comes to your own life, you're damn reckless. It's when it comes to those you care about that you that you're weak." He continued to walk past Haruka, putting his gun back in his pocket. "And you care about me. We've been friends forever. That's why you're going to let me walk out that door behind you."

Haruka moved in an instant, lifting up her gun and abruptly pulling the trigger. The noise echoed throughout the house and down the street.

Nisai yelped in pain as he fell to the floor, his hands grasping at his leg, which was now spilling blood over the beige carpet. "If that's all you know about me, then I think it's safe to say that you don't know a single thing about me."

“Oh, but that’s not all I know about you, Haruka-kun.” Haruka was compelled by her friends words, yet was preoccupied at the moment.

Haruka left the man laying on her floor as she ran out of the door, trying to catch a glimpse of the aquamarine-haired woman. She frantically looked up and down the street. She finally caught a look at a few men leading the girl to a black car a few buildings down.

"Michiru!" She screamed the girl's name as she ran down the stairs of her porch and down the paved sidewalk.

 

~ A few minutes ago ~

 

Michiru was scared. Why wouldn't she? After all, she had no idea what just happened.

Haruka grabbed a gun and ran inside. And then... nothing. Absolute silence.

Suddenly, something hit her. A terrible thought that made her grimace.

This was it. Haruka had sold her out. She was going to be taken away at any moment by some creepy old man and would never be heard from again.

Or be used for ransom. Her father, despite his demeanor, truly cared for her well being, and she knew that. He would undoubtedly pay a hefty amount for her well being.

But this enemy wasn’t looking for money, as far as she knew. No. They were only looking for the deaths of her and her father.

She looked around the car, looking for a possible escape route. Nobody was on the road. Or that road.

But why would Haruka do that? Sure, she was the boss’ son. The soon-to-be leader of the Tenoari Organization. The gang that would see to her death by any means.

But there was something in Haruka that was almost kind. Like she truly cared about the violinist’s well being, safety, and comfort.

And as much as Michiru truly hates Haruka for being a part of a gang like that, she couldn’t help but truly care about the blonde.

In this moment, Michiru decided to trust Haruka. She sat back all the way in her seat, carefully watching for anything that could be Haruka’s promised signal.

And then a gunshot vibrated against her ears. She couldn’t stay still any longer.

Michiru unbuckled and threw the car door open. Despite what Haruka would want to believe, Michiru could fight. And she’d be damned if anything happened to the blonde because she stayed in the car.

As she started towards the porch, she was stopped in her tracks. Before she knew what was happening, three or four men had thrown themselves on her, pinning her to the ground. She kicked here, and punched there, but no movements could overthrow their strength when matched against hers.

“Stop struggling. Tenoh won’t be around to save you. I promise you that.”

Her heart dropped in her chest. The limbs of hers that were swinging around stopped all at once. So it was true. Haruka sold her out. This was it.

She immediately recognized that by herself, and without a decent weapon, she couldn’t beat all of the guys around her.

Under any other circumstances, this would be a different story. But now? She felt betrayed.

Another gunshot rang out across the neighborhood. This time, however, Michiru didn’t care who got hit.


	11. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nisai and Haruka had been friends ever since their childhood. Why shouldn’t Haruka trust the guy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Sorry I haven’t updated in a week! Exams in university are a lot to prep for, but I just finished them up today. Look forward to a much more regular updating schedule.

Another gunshot rang out across the neighborhood. This time, however, Michiru didn't care who got hit.

 

{—————}

 

Haruka's mind was filled with only one thought: get Michiru back.

As she ran down the sidewalk, her eyes darted around to anywhere and everywhere they could have taken the girl.

Much to Haruka's ire, Michiru wasn't found in the car where had been left. She wasn't in any of the cars that lined the roads, and in none of the cars that drove along past. For almost an hour, the blonde scoured the streets and buildings for any clue left behind as to where her lover had been taken.

Her lover? Haruka pondered about this for a moment. Sure, they had shared many secrets. A few sensual moments with each other. But to truly consider Michiru her lover like they had agreed on...

Her coat pocket suddenly vibrated and produced a chiming noise. Angrily, she stuck her hand in the pocket and fished out the buzzing electronic.

"Who is it?" Haruka spat. She didn't have the time nor the temper to deal with whoever was on the other end.

"I think you know exactly who I am, Haruka-kun." The blonde's face scrunched up as she recognized the voice.

"Nisai-kun. Where's Michiru?"

"Calm down, Haruka-kun. I've seen to it that she'll live. At long as you agree to something." Haruka clenched her teeth together and narrowed her eyes even more, if that was even possible.

"What would that be?" She paused for a second before a realization hit her. "You know what? Hold on. You're still on the floor of my apartment. Why should you be calling the shots?” Haruka heard a pained chuckle from the other end.

“You could look there, Haruka-kun. But I’m long gone. The same car that took your girlfriend kindly provided me with a ride back.”

“A ride back where? Where are you taking her? Nisai-kun.”

“Don’t worry about that. Remember. As long as you agree to what I’m about to say, I swear to God nothing bad will happen to her.”

“... I’m listening, you son of a bitch.”

Nisai’s voice suddenly became serious, much to Haruka’s surprise. “Finish the job, Haruka-kun. Nisai’s voice was hushed and urgent, much unlike his usual goofy self. Though he hasn’t been much like himself today, Haruka noted.

“Huh?”

“Your old man is going crazy. He told basically everyone in the organization that we need to finish your job for you. You know all about that, I’m sure. But...” The man’s faded away as he failed to continue his words.

“But what, Nisai-kun?”

“But I couldn’t let them take away this job from ya. I know you take pride in your work, so I volunteered to lead the mission to assassinate Kaioh-sama. Believe me when I say that... I’m sorry.” Haruka attempted to process what her friend was talking about, but couldn’t.

“You’re not making any sense. What’s going on?”

“Michiru-san is going to be fine. I’ve seen to it. Haruka, it’s all a set up. I realized that if I faked Michiru-san’s capture to the organization, then they would leave you alone until you can finish it off in 2 weeks. At the gala, Haruka. So all I ask of you is that.. you finish the damn mission. Grow some balls. Finish the job. Everything’s been taken care of. Everyone thinks it’ll be me at the gala, so they trust that it’ll get done.” Haruka took a moment to think.

“So what about Michiru? How do you plan to get her out of the shit you just put her in?”

“I’m going to pretend to move her to a isolated location. One that she’ll stay at until her father is assassinated. What everyone doesn’t know is that said location is at your place.” Haruka exhaled forcefully.

“You went to all this trouble. And I totally shot you. Jesus, Nisai. What the fuck were you thinking.”

“Well not that you were going to shoot me. That’s for damn sure.” His voice was exasperated, yet comical like it usually was. Haruka smiled at her friend’s antics.

“Sorry about that. Will you be okay?”

“Well yeah. Thank god you didn’t shoot me anywhere else than my leg. Or else I’d be no help to you at all.”

“Thank you. So when is Michiru going to be returned? I’d like to see for myself that your men didn’t hurt her, you know.”

Nisai sighed. “That’s the only thing Haruka-kun. Michiru-san... is under the impression that you set her up. That you were behind what just happened. She just told me that she didn’t even want to go back because you betrayed her.”

“Shit.” Haruka cursed into the microphone. Of course Michiru had. And it was all Haruka’s fault, at that. If Haruka has just... done something differently... but faking her capture was necessary to truly ensure her safety. Unlike what things were like usually, Haruka was lost as to what to do in such a situation.

“Well calm down, Haruka-kun. I have an idea.”

“What?”

“An idea. But for it to work, I need you to trust me completely.” Haruka was taken aback once again by her friend’s asking.

After all, why should she trust him? Even now, he could be lying. After everything that has happened today, Haruka was sure this could be another one of his many traps.

When Nisai and Haruka were kids, Nisai had the annoying (as Haruka had put it) habit of always playing pranks. Whether it be pretending to be sick to get extra sleep, or tricking Haruka into giving him her portion of bread, Nisai always seemed to be able to become almost another person to get what he wanted.

In this particular instance, Haruka came to understand that it wasn’t Nisai she didn’t trust. It was her father and his power over Nisai’s actions that made her weary.

Haruka was there the day Nisai joined the Tenoari Organization. A young, thin boy, not much younger than she was. Instantly, the two had become good friends. This being the case, even though the boy was young, he was now under the command of the boss.

Haruka had seen the awful punishments her father gave to those who broke the rules. The law of the land.

Over on the other line, Haruka heard a sigh.

“Do you trust me, Haruka-kun?”

 

“...Of course I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was short/an information dump. I wrote it like one class period today. Yikes.


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